Northwest Exporters Eye New Opportunities In Cuba

Northwest farmers and orchardists are among the potential beneficiaries if the U.S. and Cuba normalize their relationship and the trade embargo ends.

They're among many still trying to sort out what President Obama's announcement Wednesday of changes in Cuba policy could mean for them.

Kevin Moffitt of the Pear Bureau Northwest went on a trade mission to Cuba led by Washington Senator Maria Cantwell in 2002. That trip resulted in a deal that now allows Washington pear growers to sell an average of 40 tons of pears to Cuba each year.

That's a pretty small chunk of the pear export market. But Moffitt says he hopes the President's announcement will open doors for Oregon pear growers, too.

"I'm actually quite optimistic that this could turn into -- not a market like Mexico, of course -- but a good size market,” Moffitt said.

Business groups said it's too soon to know what the President's announcement will mean in the long run. But they said other potential Northwest exports to Cuba include wine, craft beer and seafood.

But Cuba might not be a suitable market for all Northwest agricultural products. Blake Rowe of the Oregon Wheat Growers League said it's a simple matter of geography. He said Northwest wheat will likely have a hard time competing with wheat grown in the central United States, which has easier access to Gulf Coast ports. Rowe said Oregon and Washington wheat will likely continue to export primarily to Pacific Rim markets.